LINGAYEN --- Western Visayas maintained its overall lead in the medal race of the National Private Schools and Athletics Association Games at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here after winning 14 golds yesterday that was highlighted by the victory of its women's badminton team.

The Region VI women's badminton squad crushed Southern Mindanao, 2-0, 2-0, in the finals to retain its championship and take Western Visayas' first team crown that was equivalent to four gold medals.

"I am very impressed with the performance of the girls. I hope that they could keep it up in the individual events," women's badminton coach Joy Robinson told the DAILY STAR.

Composing the Region VI women's badminton team were Rosalie Soberano of Riverside College and Iloilo Doctor's College standouts Annelyn Alba, Rina Batuigas and Wilma Elizan.

The Western Visayas delegation leads the medal count with 32 golds, 38 silvers and 27 bronzes with still eight gold medals to be disputed in the team competitions of chess, while Southern Mindanao is running second with a 26-24-22 medal-haul.

Rounding out the top five are Central Visayas (25-12-35), Calabarzon (20-16-16) and Northern Luzon or Ilocos (17-19-3).

The men and women's swimming squads of Western Visayas added five more golds yesterday on top of their 12 silvers and five bronzes. The athletics teams posted a 5-1-3 medal-haul, while the men and women's table tennis teams took two silvers and two bronzes in the doubles' category.

The Region VI male paddlers, who are also mentored by Robinson, also collected four bronzes in the team competitions after smashing Cagayan Valley, 2-0, 2-0, in the battle for third. Central Visayas topped the event by posting a win over Calabarzon in the championship match.

National PRISAA newcomer Kevin King, a St. La Salle freshman, fished out a gold in the men's 1,500-m freestyle by clocking 19 minutes and 40.73 seconds.

USLS standout Nianhlyn Acain and Kristine Cabasac followed up King's victory by bagging two gold medals each for Western Visayas in the women's swimming competitions at the City Olympic Pool in Dagupan City.

The 17-year-old Acain registered golden finishes in the women's 200-m backstroke (2:57.03) and 100-m butterfly (1:18.32), while Cabasac, a student at the University of San Agustin-Iloilo, reigned supreme in the 800-m free (11:26.14) and 100-m free (1:08.50).

In athletics, Cel Joy Papa took the gold in the women's 200-m run for Western Visayas with a time of 27.55 seconds yesterday, before leading the 4x400-m relay squad to a victory with a 4:10.60 clocking.

Joining Papa in the triumphant women's 4x400-m relay team were La Sallian Ma. Rosario Baranao, Jennilyn Progio and Marigen Campos.

The Mark Francis Jimenez-mentored Region VI men's doubles table tennis team bowed to Central Visayas in the finals to settle for two silvers, while the lady paddlers of Western Visayas managed two bronzes.

Composing the men's doubles table tennis squad of Western Visayas were Dexter Delenila and Edward Cachumbo, while the tandem of Jezyl Rose Biera and Ma. Catherine Garcia bannered the Region VI women's doubles team. All of them are students of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos.

The Western Visayas men's badminton team that grabbed four bronzes were comprised of Riverside College standout Alex Borromeo, Ian Alvarez of the Western Institute of Technology, and IDC shuttlers Ralph Nelson Cajandig and Louie John Tentia. *CIT

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